


The Fire Lord and the Sunstone

by JasmineTeaLatte



Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [10]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Dragons, F/M, Fire Lady Katara, Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Nation Royal Family, Minor Violence, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25980019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: Five years into his reign, Fire Lord Zuko receives a mysterious letter from Avatar Aang, and the two are summoned to the Sun Warriors’ ancient city to face judgement from Ran and Shaw once more. This time, though, they leave with more than just a renewed appreciation for the firebending masters...A fluffy-ish little oneshot set during my series "The Phoenix and the Dragon." Can also be read as a standalone fic.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847290
Comments: 7
Kudos: 138





	The Fire Lord and the Sunstone

The Fire Lord examined the unopened letter from the Avatar, turning it over repeatedly in his hands.

It had arrived along with several other scrolls and letters earlier that day, but Zuko knew his friend only sent messages like this if they were of utmost importance.

The outer envelope was plain, except for a hidden symbol in the bottom corner drawn with special ink that appeared if one held a tiny flame nearby, but only for a specific amount of time. Any shorter or longer, and the ink wouldn't show at all. 

Shortly after he was crowned, the two friends had developed their own secret code for addressing letters to the other that should only be opened in private. So far, their system hadn’t been cracked nearly five years into his reign.

Zuko had waited until later that evening before he broke the seal and opened it. Katara dozed beside him in bed, and even though he trusted her with his life, he still wanted to keep its contents private, just in case.

He skimmed the letter and was intrigued when he saw it contained a summons to a vague third party.

It was funny, he mused briefly. As Fire Lord he was usually the one doing the summoning, not the other way around.

Had this letter fallen into the wrong hands, however, he doubted they would have deciphered what on earth the Avatar was talking about using extremely vague terms, but Zuko understood the hidden message immediately.

The Sun Warriors, and by extension Ran and Shaw, requested the presence of the Avatar and the Fire Lord as soon as possible and in absolute secrecy.

Zuko absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair as he reread the letter a few more times. He didn’t have the slightest idea why they wanted to see them after all this time, but he knew he couldn’t skip the meeting.

Fortunately, the assassination attempts on his life and his family's had decreased significantly in recent years, and he finally felt safe leaving his wife and daughter behind, especially since Toph would stay here while they were gone.

Katara was more than capable of defending herself and their daughter if worst came to worst, but it comforted him to know they’d have another friendly face around - especially one who was the world's greatest earthbender, the only known metalbender, and a living lie detector, to boot.

~*~*~

It still felt strange sometimes to say he had a daughter. Izumi was some months shy of two years old now, toddling along and babbling away in that adorable baby gibberish that he found absolutely endearing.

Before her birth, he couldn’t imagine what being a father, much less a caring one, would even be like. But the moment he held her in his arms for the first time and saw her round golden eyes staring up at him in wonder, he couldn’t envision life without her anymore.

When her first words had been "dada," the Fire Lord wasn't ashamed to say he cried a few happy tears, hugging both his daughter and Katara to him. He learned later that his wife had been teaching her in private, while at the same time he'd been trying to teach Izumi how to say "mama."

"If we have another, you get to be their first word," he'd said, giving her a kiss, which she'd wholeheartedly endorsed. 

He'd had his doubts of course from the moment he learned Katara was pregnant with her, but he quickly discovered that fatherhood suited him. He absolutely adored his daughter and doted on her every chance he got, spoiling her as rotten as his wife would let him.

Katara would tease him constantly that Izumi had him completely wrapped around her little finger.

"I bet if she called you Sifu Hotman you'd eat it up," she said one afternoon when they'd managed to step away for a brief nap, and he'd just grinned.

"Maybe so," he'd conceded. "But can you blame me?"

"I suppose not," she said with a smile as she curled up next to him on their bed. "We did make a very cute baby."

Izumi dozed off on his chest and her mother followed soon after, her head resting on his shoulder.

But he stayed awake, one arm wrapped around his wife and the other hand resting on his daughter's back to keep her in place, and Fire Lord Zuko had never felt so peaceful and content before in his life.

~*~*~

In the present, he glanced down at his sleeping wife curled up next to him and smiled, lightly brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Despite his careful attempts, she stirred and her eyes fluttered open anyways.

“Sorry," he whispered, his mouth twitching. "Didn’t mean to wake you."

She just smiled and brought his hand to her lips for a quick kiss.

“S’kay,” she mumbled sleepily, vaguely gesturing to the letter in his other hand. “What’s that?”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“It’s from Aang,” he said softly. “Some very old friends of ours have summoned him and I to visit.”

He stood up and locked the letter in their safe before crawling back into bed with her, pulling the sheets up around their shoulders.

She frowned slightly as he settled in beside her.

“Which friends?”

“Remember the ones we met on our field trip when we learned about firebending?”

He and Aang had kept their word to the Sun Warriors and still hadn't revealed to anyone what they saw the day they learned about the true source of firebending. All they told the others was that they met a pair of firebending masters but declined to explain just who or what they were.

“Hmmm,” she nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling up against him. “How long will you be gone?” 

“The letter says probably a month or so, whenever Aang gets here.”

Her eyes fluttered open again and she looked sad.

“I know, I know,” he said apologetically. “I’ve never been away from either of you that long since before Izumi was born. I don't know what it's about, but I can’t miss this.”

She nodded and pulled him closer.

"I guess I'll let you go," she teased, yawning. "But only because this is really, really important."

She fell asleep again soon after and he followed, his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm and protected.

~*~*~

At some point in the night Izumi woke them up crying from the next room over, and he rolled out of bed before his wife.

"I've got her," he mumbled as she fell back against the mattress. "Get some rest, sweetheart."

Zuko trudged down the hidden passage that connected the two rooms and carefully scooped their daughter up.

While she didn't stop crying completely, she settled down a little once she felt his warm arms around her.

He raised his body temperature just enough, and she snuggled up against him contentedly, her cries fading away to babbling.

"That's my girl," he murmured encouragingly. "My brave little princess."

He carried her over to the window, and she quieted completely when she saw the blue moonlight shining down around them.

"You're so much like your mom," he whispered, kissing her forehead as he cradled her. "Love you, Izumi."

She just blinked up at him before she eventually dozed off, a lock of his long black hair tangled up in her tiny fist, but he didn't return her to her crib just yet.

Instead he held her for a while longer, smiling down at his daughter as she slept safe and sound in his arms.

~*~*~

Five years and several months ago, a young, unsure Avatar and a self-exiled Fire Prince bickered as they waited to meet the Firebending Masters, with the younger of the two quickly losing his flame and accidentally snuffing out the other's.

In the present, however, Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko both confidently held remnants from the first fire in the palms of their hands as Ran and Shaw circled around them.

The two friends exchanged a nod before they performed a familiar series of moves while maintaining careful control over the flames they carried.

Then as the two colossal dragons came to a stop on either side of them, they bowed before the masters in reverence. 

The first time they faced their judgement, they had been terrified teens with wide eyes and racing heartbeats. Now they stood calmly, locking eyes with Ran and Shaw as they awaited their sentence.

Just as before, Aang and Zuko watched in awe as the multicolored fire completely surrounded them as it swirled skywards. After they were deemed worthy once more, they descended the stairs again.

"I'm surprised you still know how to perform the Dancing Dragon," Aang said, elbowing his friend with a grin. "I noticed you added a little flair to some of the moves, too!"

Zuko rolled his eyes but grinned as well.

"I'm just glad we didn't get trapped by that slime again when we arrived," he said. "And at least you could carry your own flame this time." 

They both shared a chuckle.

Once they reached the bottom, they bowed again to the chief, who unnecessarily announced that the masters had judged their hearts and their actions over the last five years and were pleased by what they saw.

The friends smiled at each other before looking back at the Sun Warriors.

"There is another reason you both were called here," the chief explained, gesturing to a group standing nearby.

Avatar and Fire Lord exchanged slightly confused glances when the warriors presented them with the golden sunstone. They noticed Ham Ghao still eyed them warily but seemed slightly less put out than last time.

Zuko was surprised when they handed it directly to him.

"Do you remember this, Lord Zuko?" the chief asked him, and he nodded his head. "When you both visited before, you were the first to pick up the sunstone. At the time, did you notice anything unusual about it?"

Zuko mused over this for a moment.

"It was almost like it called to me," he said while carefully shifting it around in his grip. "Also I thought it almost felt alive, but now it feels even more so. Why is that?"

Then both his and the Avatar's eyes widened when they learned exactly _what_ was inside of the sunstone, and fortunately he didn't drop it in surprise.

~*~*~

Two months later, they departed from the ancient city with one more traveler in tow.

They'd sent messages back to the palace to assure Katara and Toph that all was well, they had just been detained but everything would make sense upon their return.

Aang glanced back from guiding Appa and grinned as Zuko sat nearby in the saddle, carefully feeding chunks of meat to the small red dragon now draped across his shoulders.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" he called out, and his friend shook his head.

"I have a few options in mind, but I'm still deciding," he replied, smiling as his cat-sized companion exhaled a few small flames, searing the food before he gobbled it down.

Once he had eaten his fill, he curled up in Zuko's lap and dozed off.

When he picked up the sunstone all those years ago, the infant dragon within immediately imprinted on him, and the two had been inseparable from the moment he hatched a little over a month ago.

"No one's going to believe this," Zuko said softly, scratching the scales behind the horns, which he seemed to enjoy based on the happy dragon-y sounds he made.

He especially couldn't wait to see the look on Katara's face when she met the newest member of their family.

~*~*~

When they landed in the palace courtyard, Zuko's eyes scanned the crowd for a trace of blue but saw none. He did however see Toph standing at the front to greet them, balancing Izumi on her hip and Momo perched on her shoulder.  
  
They didn’t look somber or distraught, so at least nothing bad had happened to his wife. Still, he frowned lightly as he descended from Appa.

It wasn't like her to not greet him after he'd been away, and vice versa.  
  
“Where’s Katara?” he asked Toph quietly as he took Izumi into his arms.

His daughter's face lit up when she recognized him, and he hugged her tightly as she called out "dada" over and over.

Toph, however, was too busy embracing her fiancé to answer him right away. When she did so, she was nonchalant, waving her hand in his general direction.  
  
“She’s fine, Father Lord. Give me a minute.”  
  
Fortunately Zuko was distracted by Izumi tugging at his hair and babbling away happily at seeing her father again. He smiled at her and kissed her round cheeks, and his heart melted as she cooed.

An advisor sidled up and filled him in on all that they'd missed over the last couple of months, which fortunately wasn't anything consequential. Besides the usual squabbles amongst the nobles, all had remained relatively peaceful in his absence.  
  
Once Toph had reunited with Aang to her heart’s content, she turned to face Zuko.  
  
“Sugar Queen’s been a little under the weather lately, so she wanted to reunite with you in private the moment you got back. She’s waiting for you in the gardens.”  
  
The Fire Lord nodded and exchanged a look with Aang. He understood immediately and took charge of Izumi while Zuko climbed back in the saddle.

Aang had been trying hard to teach her how to say "flameo," much to her father's displeasure, and he tried again a few times for good measure but to no avail. Then he leaned over to Toph and asked in a low voice what was wrong with the Fire Lady.

Zuko was too distracted trying to coax his newest companion to wake up from a pile of blankets to hear that exchange. He also missed the furtive conspiratorial smirks from the crowd, as well as Aang’s wide-eyed reaction when Toph whispered in his ear just _why_ Katara was absent from this reunion.  
  
Finally his head popped up over the side of the saddle and called everyone to attention.  
  
“Before I go see my wife, there’s someone I’d like for you all to meet... but please don’t yell or make loud noises, because you might scare him.”  
  
Toph tilted her head in confusion when she heard gasps from the crowd a few moments later. Then Zuko carefully descended from Appa once more, and at last she understood what all the commotion was about once his feet touched the tiles.  
  
Her jaw dropped.  
  
“Is that a-?” she asked, then she heard the tiny growl and knew her feet weren’t playing tricks on her.

“Everyone,” he said with a wide grin as the dragon perched on the crook of his outstretched arm, spreading his wings proudly, “I’d like for you all to meet Druk.”

~*~*~

Druk seemed far less impressed with his audience than they were of him. He blinked his red eyes and yawned, exhaling small wisps of smoke in the process.

Everyone present in the crowd made sounds of wonderment and all began whispering in astonishment amongst themselves. No dragons had been seen since the days of Fire Lord Sozin - where did their leader and the Avatar even find one?

Zuko cautiously approached Izumi, who had squirmed out of Aang’s arms down to the tiles below and was gazing up at them curiously.  
  
The firebending masters had assured him that Druk could sense who his family and friends were and wouldn’t harm them, but he still worried that his daughter would be scared.

It never hurt to be too careful, either, especially where his baby girl was concerned. He knelt down in front of her.

The dragon remained on his arm staring down at her, as she stared back up with those round eyes so much like her mother's but golden like her father's.  
  
“Izumi, say hi to Druk,” Zuko said softly. “It's okay, he won't hurt you. He’s part of our family now.”  
  
She considered them both in silence before fearlessly stretching out her little hand to pet him.  
  
"That’s my girl," he whispered with a swell of pride.

Druk nuzzled against her palm and licked it, and Zuko could have sworn the dragon even _purred_.  
  
“Druhh?” she asked, and he grinned down at his daughter.  
  
“That’s right,” he said with utmost seriousness even though he was beaming, and he scooped her up. “Let’s go see your mommy.”

Someone in the crowd spoke out as he started to walk away.

"Excuse me, Lord Zuko, will you tell us where you found this magnificent creature?"

The Fire Lord grinned and tilted his head in Aang's direction.

"I believe the Avatar should be able to answer your questions," he said cheerfully, winking at his friend's mildly annoyed look in response. "I'll be back shortly. I have to introduce Druk to the rest of the family."  
  
With his daughter in his arms babbling away and petting at the dragon now draped across his shoulders, the Fire Lord set off for the gardens to reunite with his wife.

Once he was gone, Aang was inundated with questions, but he was grinning, too.

After hearing the news from Toph, he had a feeling Zuko wouldn't be making a speedy return when he saw Katara's current state.

~*~*~

Much to Zuko's amusement, various members of the palace stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what accompanied him and his daughter.

Their eyes grew as round as saucer plates, and he could have sworn he heard something break after it was dropped in shock. Not that he cared too much, mind you.

He was too busy nodding along seriously as she chattered on in baby-talk.

"Is that so, Izumi? Oh wow, you don't say... ow, please don't pull on my hair..." he said softly, wincing as she continued to tug.

She was in the hair-pulling phase that Katara was adamantly trying to curb, which was hindered somewhat by her father's coddling.

When they reached the doorway to the garden, he spotted his wife reading near the pond with her back to them, and he smiled.

He had wanted to surprise her earlier, and this would be even better than his original plan. He waited until they were closer before he spoke, using the husky voice he knew she loved.  
  
“Hi, sweetheart.”  
  
She whipped her head around, her face glowing in happiness. Then she saw Druk perched on her husband’s shoulder and nuzzling up with Izumi, and her jaw dropped.

“Is that a _dragon?"_ she sputtered.  
  
His smirk was short-lived though, as his jaw also dropped when she stood up and turned to face him.

He understood immediately why she'd opted for a private reunion when he saw her hands resting on her slightly rounded stomach.  
  
“Are you _pregnant_?!”

~*~*~

Zuko hugged his wife as he kissed all over her face, which was no easy feat considering he still held Izumi balanced on his hip and Druk on his shoulder, who was now sniffing Katara curiously.  
  
“When did you find out?” he whispered when he could talk again without tearing up.  
  
Her eyes shone up at him happily, and she took their daughter in her arms.  
  
“Right after you and Aang left,” she said softly. “Toph was actually the one who figured it out before I even started having morning sickness.”  
  
He knelt down, gently hugging around her waist and kissing her stomach before resting his cheek against it. He knew it was far too early for kicking, but a proud father could dream, right?  
  
“So that puts you at...?”  
  
“Just shy of four months. Want to know what we’re having?”  
  
He looked up at her in astonishment as Druk sniffed and nuzzled against her stomach, sensing his master's offspring within.  
  
“Toph can tell already?”  
  
“Well she _is_ the world’s greatest earthbender.”  
  
He made a sound of agreement and stood up again.  
  
“Boy or girl?” he asked.

Zuko would have been content with either, to be honest, although he suddenly realized he was hoping for a son this time. Katara seemed a little nervous to answer, and he tilted his head at her quizzically.  
  
“Actually, she thinks we’re having both.”  
  
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped for the second time that day.  
  
“Twins?!"  
  
She nodded, grinning.  
  
“Twins. As in, _twins_.”  
  
Katara giggled.  
  
“Yes, twins. A boy and a girl, according to her.”  
  
She set Izumi down, and Druk hopped down from his shoulders as well to investigate the gardens.

The turtleducks quacked in fear at the sudden appearance of the dragon and scampered away to the far side of the yard. Fortunately he'd been fed not long before, and Druk just ignored them for the time being.  
  
Zuko sank down in the grass beside the pond, stunned. His wife giggled again and settled down beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder.  
  
“You okay?” she asked, grinning up at him.  
  
He nodded and returned her smile.  
  
“I just need a minute,” he breathed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a tender kiss. “I love you, Katara.”  
  
“Love you too, Zuko,” she whispered, snuggling up against him.  
  
They enjoyed a comfortable silence, watching as Izumi sat down in the yard nearby and plucked up fistfuls of grass.

Druk curled beside her, keeping one eye open as she reached out to pat his head and babbled away. Then he sat up and licked her face, and the crown princess giggled as she gave the dragon's neck a hug.  
  
“Sooo...” Katara said after that exchange. “We have a dragon now.”

"Um, surprise?" he said while shrugging, and she grinned.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Druk eventually crawled over to them and stretched out across their laps, and Zuko knew from the look on his wife’s face that she was already smitten.  
  
“What’s his name again, Druk?” she asked. "And seriously, how in the name of Tui, La, and Agni do you have a _dragon_?"

He smirked and gave her a gentle sideways hug.

It looked like the secret of Ran and Shaw would be revealed with Druk's appearance, but that was Aang's problem now, he mused.

He'd completely forgotten about returning to the courtyard, but he thought his friend and the crowd might forgive him.

It's not every day you introduce your family's new dragon to your wife _and_ find out you're expecting twins, after all.  
  
Katara stroked Druk’s head and neck, and her face lit up when he nuzzled her hand and licked it.  
  
“Is he purring?” she whispered, trying not to squeal in adoration. “Aww, he’s so precious!”  
  
Her husband smiled.  
  
“You know he’s not going to stay this little for long. He’ll be big enough to ride in a few years and in a few decades he’ll be fully grown and enormous.”  
  
She was too busy cooing over him and scratching his scaly belly to pay attention. Then he raised his eyebrow in amusement and mild exasperation as she continued to fawn over Druk for a while longer.  
  
“He’s not a baby, Katara,” he said while trying to sound serious. “He’s a dragon and he’s going to be ferocious and feared by all one day.”  
  
“Of course he will,” she replied in a slightly singsong voice. “He’s our fearsome dragon-baby and he’s such a good boy, yes he is!”  
  
After her first pregnancy he knew better than to suggest his wife’s hormones might be the cause of this sudden sappiness.

Instead, he gave her another kiss as they watched Izumi toddle over to sit beside them, making up gibberish songs about her newest playmate.

~*~*~

Unfortunately the sweet experience was somewhat ruined when Druk decided to chase and chow down on a poor turtleduck about ten minutes later.

Fortunately, though, Izumi's parents realized what was about to happen and they were able to shield her eyes and cover her ears just in time.

"I promise I fed him just before we arrived," he said apologetically in response to his wife's slightly disapproving look.

She shook her head and scooped up their daughter to head back indoors while shielding her from the carnage.

Once Druk had finished, he smugly licked his claws and allowed himself to be picked up and perched on Zuko's shoulder.

The Fire Lord gestured to a few nearby servants to clean up the mess, and they nodded, looking more than a bit queasy.

He also discovered his wife and daughter waiting for them just around the corner, just out of eyesight of the garden.

"I'll figure something out so he doesn't traumatize our daughter or anyone else with his eating habits," he promised as they walked through the corridors to reunite with Aang and Toph.

"You better," she scolded lightly, although she was hiding a smirk. "I rather liked that poor turtleduck."

"I think Druk did, too," he said before he could help himself, earning him a groan and a playful nudge from his wife as she tried not to give him the satisfaction of laughing.

She sighed and shook her head.

"We have a _dragon_ now, Zuko."

“And a toddler, plus twins on the way," he added, suddenly feeling tired, albeit in a good way. "Not saying things were quiet before, but we're _really_ about to have our hands full.”

"This should be interesting, to say the least," she said, smiling over at her husband, "and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side for it all, either."

He paused and carefully pulled her in for a kiss, somehow maneuvering around their toddler in her arms, the light swell of her stomach, and the dragon fidgeting on his shoulders.

"Same here," he whispered, giving her a wink before their little family set off down the hallways again.

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: I totally forgot to mention Druk when I was writing the flash-forward featuring Team Avatar's families and children during the Ember Island reunion in chapter 4 of "Phoenix and Dragon." Oops. Just assume that he was there for the trip as well, hunting and chowing down on some of the local wildlife off-screen. 
> 
> Also, I've got a timeline worked out for the entire series, but I don't want to post it in its entirety since it includes some spoilers for upcoming entries I'm brainstorming/working on. In the meantime, here's what I can share without giving anything away, at least regarding the births of the royal steambabies: 
> 
> SC= Sozin's Comet. Events from the show are spread out over 3 years instead of 1. 
> 
> ~3 years after SC – Crown Princess Izumi is born 
> 
> ~5 years after SC – Zuko and Aang reunite with the Firebending Masters; Zuko receives Druk; upon returning to the Fire Nation he learns that Katara is pregnant again 
> 
> ~5 years and approximately 5 months after SC – Prince Hanzo and Princess Kya born 
> 
> ~11 years after SC – Prince Shunsui born 
> 
> ~16 years after SC – Team Avatar and their families reunite at Ember Island Beach House; Katara announces they’re expecting again
> 
> ~16 years and approximately 6 months after SC – Prince Lu Ten, Princess Ayuko, and Prince Mihiro born


End file.
